Dumbledore, upon thinking about the infusion of vitality, immediately recalled his old friend, Nicolas Flamel. What else could be more capable of restoring vitality than the Philosopher's Stone?
There was just one problem...
And that was that Nicolas Flamel had already retired completely, and he couldn't even contact him. He had completely severed his connection with the outside world and destroyed the vast majority of the Philosopher's Stones, leaving only a small reserve to handle some pending matters. It was highly likely that he and his wife had already passed away.
Dumbledore felt a headache coming on. He couldn't accept Hermione's death as an accident, as it could trigger a catastrophe in the magical world.
As for the boy Tom, he knew him quite well. He was emotionally distant, and all his attention was on Hermione. If anything happened to her, Dumbledore didn't dare to imagine how Tom might change; he might even unintentionally raise another Dark Lord.
And then, the entire magical world would be buried with Hermione.
At that moment, if Hermione were to die, Tom would become an extremely complicated problem. Perhaps Dumbledore's best option would be to seize an opportunity and kill him. But he wasn't capable of doing something like that; he wasn't that kind of person. Imprisoning him wasn't an option either. Azkaban was his home, and going back there was like returning home. And waiting for Tom to self-imprison as Grindelwald did was simply unimaginable. It would be easier to find the Resurrection Stone and bring Hermione back to life.
Dumbledore felt like his head was about to explode. At that moment, Professor McGonagall gently tugged at his robe and gestured towards the bed. Dumbledore looked and saw Hermione with her eyes wide open, watching them.
The three of them looked at Hermione at the same time, and she felt a bit embarrassed. She lowered her head slightly and covered her face with the blanket.
Once she covered her face, she seemed to gather some courage and timidly asked Dumbledore, "Professor Dumbledore... how much time do I have left?"
"Of course not, both Professor Snape and I will find a solution! I also know many wizards; surely someone can solve this problem," Dumbledore replied while covering Hermione with blankets and comforting her so she wouldn't feel too nervous.
Snape looked away. He knew very well that what Dumbledore was saying wasn't entirely true. They were only comforting Hermione. Neither he nor Dumbledore could solve the curse, and how other wizards in the magical world could do it was even more uncertain. The most they could do was prolong Hermione's life a little.
McGonagall almost cried in despair; her tears threatened to burst forth at any moment.
Hermione was very intelligent, and from Dumbledore's words, she could deduce something. Along with what she had heard while unconscious, she had a fairly clear idea of her situation.
Thinking that her life was on a countdown, Hermione fell silent.
Finally, in the midst of an unsettling silence, Hermione spoke slowly.
"Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape, I have something to ask of you."
"Please, tell me," Dumbledore said immediately, giving her his full attention. At this moment, Dumbledore would grant any request from Hermione, even if she wanted to read all the forbidden books in the restricted section. Although McGonagall and Snape didn't say anything, they were also eager to hear what Hermione would say next.
"I want you to keep this a secret from Tom, I don't want him to find out," Hermione said seriously, looking directly into Dumbledore's eyes. This time, Dumbledore looked away with a certain sense of guilt.
"If he finds out that I have little time left to live, he'll surely be very sad and depressed... I don't want to see him like that. I want him to be happy," her voice was soft and light, but it resonated heavily and deeply in the hearts of the three professors, moving them profoundly.
"I still have several years left; I can accompany him until he graduates without any problem," Hermione made an effort to display a radiant smile, which deeply touched the three professors.
However, that statement was something neither McGonagall nor Snape dared to promise lightly. So they both looked to Dumbledore for an answer.
Dumbledore pondered for a while and finally nodded, "I will keep the secret... until we find a way to cure you."
When Hermione heard Dumbledore's promise, she sighed in relief. She truly didn't know how to face Tom once he found out the truth.
This is fine. Both of them can live happily like this until their time at Hogwarts is over. When graduation is near, I can find an excuse to leave.
Let me be the villain in this story. Tom, you must find a way to forget me and live happily, carrying a piece of me with you...
As she thought about their future, tears began to well up in Hermione's eyes. Seeing this, Dumbledore and the other two professors quietly left the room to give her some time alone.
In the epicenter of the storm, Tom had no idea he would be facing something so painful. Although he felt a bit anxious, his body dutifully took him to St. Mungo's Hospital, with his followers in the form of small imps, carrying Dumbledore's recommendation letter, to fetch Rabastan, who was recovering there.
Now, he stood in front of the gates of Gringotts.
Before reaching his destination, he transformed into his human form, which made the atmosphere feel a bit strange: a wizard with a bone mask standing on the steps of Gringotts, with hundreds of Dementors behind him, like dark clouds covering the sky over Diagon Alley.
Tom looked at the magnificent facade of Gringotts and felt a sense of nostalgia. He never imagined that one day he would lead "people" to surround this bank.
"If someone wants to rob Gringotts, they must be crazy."
"Tsk!" Tom savored those words. "Perhaps I am crazy too! I hope everything goes smoothly," he thought to himself. If possible, he would prefer not to use force to solve the problem.
The Gringotts goblins had already noticed this unwelcome visitor. Several fully armed goblin guards appeared at the gate of Gringotts, watching Tom warily and occasionally glancing at the Dementors in the sky.
Of course, these guards had heard of those wicked and insane creatures. The moment the Dementors appeared, they contacted the Ministry of Magic. Now, all they could do was delay the Death Eaters until the Aurors arrived and caged those rabid dogs.
If they tried to cause trouble, they would make them understand one truth: private property was sacred and inviolable! No one could cause trouble in Gringotts!
Tom ignored the guards' stares and, with two Dementors holding Rabastan, ascended the steps. Of course, the goblins took action.